THE MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS MEET THE TATTOOED TEENAGE ALIEN FIGHTERS FROM BEVERLY HILLS WITH SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE BY THE SUPERHUMAN SAMURAI SYBER SQUAD It was a quiet day in the Command Center. Lord Zed, it seemed, was taking the day off. Alpha-5 sighed. At least, he thought, he'd be able to get some cleaning done. Those Power Rangers just didn't realize how much dirt they tracked in, teleporting from goodness knows where. The Power Rangers, another frustration Alpha wouldn't have to deal with today. Just once he wished he could get Billy alone with him. Then, then he could use the potion Rita gave him in exchange for the Rangers' weakness to colored wax. Alpha-5's circuits shuddered at the thought of that moment, should it ever come. Ay-yi-yi-yi-YI! Somewhere in the Pacific, on the island Destruga, Lord Zed was indeed taking a well-deserved vacation from trying to conquer the world. He sat in the main lounge of Sanctuary, a neutral ground where villains and heroes alike took holidays. Zed took the opportunity to discuss his problems of world domination with several others in the room. The one in plate armor and green cloak, Victor von Doom, confessed he had a complex about winning, and often subconciously ruined his own best plans. As he said, "Once I take over the world, what do I do with it?" Zed and the large-headed lab mouse nodded at his point. The man with the face full of scar tissue, identifying himself only as Doctor Destroyer,rebutted,"Rule it with an iron fist, and those who oppose you, you destroy, like this--!" Here he ripped apart a small rag doll. Zed silently wondered if he was part Klingon. The other alien, Emperor Gorganus, had different plans. "I don't want this crummy planet. I only want its power portals." "Gentlemen," the mouse broke in with his surprisingly deep voice,"I have a proposal that may solve our problems. One of us would have succeeded long ago if not for...certain opposing factors." The mouse glanced significantly at his partner. "If we work together to take over the world, we may have a chance." "But we all want control over the world. What will we do if we win?" The question came from the heretofore silent intelligent virus Kilokahn. "As Gorganus said, he doesn't want the world, just its power portals, so we let him have them. You only want control over the global computer network; you can have that." "They get what they want, but what about the rest of us?" Zed asked, feeling vaguely stupid for having a serious discussion with a mouse. "We have a contest among ourselves after we have the world in the palm of our collective hands!" "Brilliant, Brain! Narf!" exclaimed the mouse's companion. "No, wait. The world is plainly too big to fit in the palm of our hands. Especially ours, Brain. Zort!" "It must be enormously taxing to be such a boob, Pinky." "You have no idea." "I suppose," said Destroyer, leaning in the direction of the two mice,"that you have a plan?" The first mouse smiled slowly. "Yes, always." Also enjoying Zed's day off, the Power Rangers decided to take a break at the beach. Five of the teens were sitting on the gorgeous white sand; Kimberly sat in Tommy's lap. "You guys," she whined,"I have a bad feeling about this. Putties are going to attack at any moment, and Zed's going to make a beach blanket monster!" "Kimberly, you've been saying that since we got here. Now relax, enjoy Zed's day off." Tommy started massaging her shoulders. Jealous, Trini looked over at Billy, hopelessly lost in some sort of equation on his graphic calculator. She knew he would never give her the sort of attention she wanted even if she tried the martial arts strip tease she learned at the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts. She sighed to herself. Jason looked over at her. Oh, no...it was The Look. "You should relax more too, Trini. C'mon, let's go for a swim." "No thanks," she replied. She made a point of provocatively stretching out in the sand near Billy. "See, I am relaxed." Boy, one night of meaningless sex while they were both drunk and he thought he owned her. "Suit yourself." Jason tried to keep a calm facade, but he was plainly annoyed at Trini's open play for Billy. Jason chuckled to himself; at least Billy was oblivious to the entire scene. That made him feel a little better. Oh well, a swim ought to clear his head. Zack watched as Jason dived into the surf from his vantage point on the nearby basketball court. He snorted at the scene he just witnessed even as he admired how Jason's muscular body powered through the waves. Maybe, he hoped, Jason would finally realize Trini wasn't right for him, and he'd give Zack another chance. In nearby Beverly Hills, at the Cafe Maison, a vastly different group had gathered. The four teens shifted around nervously, close, but not too close. The tall, leggy brunette sat nonchalantly next to the Michael J. Fox look-a-like, trying to avoid eye contact with the blonde waitress. "It's been a while since we heard from Nimbar,"Lori whispered. "I hope nothing's happened." Gordon looked over at his teammate. He was always amazed at how well he and the others worked together, considering they couldn't stand one another. "Maybe we drove Gorganus off. It wasn't worth it for him to keep losing monsters to us." "I find that highly unlikely," came a quiet response from the back of the seat. "Gorganus is probably regrouping for an assault in the near future. Maybe even lulling us into a false sense of security, so he can attack us while we're unprepared." "Swentin's right. Why would a few fights with us deter Gorganus from galactic conquest?" Drew asked as she placed Gordon's cappuccino on the table in front of him with exaggerated care. "Don't be ridiculous. We're just too tough for that overgrown, pompous E.T.," Gordon retorted. "Gordon," Lori whispered with as much compassion as she could muster,"that made no sense. I think you should stop hanging around that weird artist with the cat fixation. What's his name? Fred?" "Yeah, maybe you're right. Y'know, that could be the reason girls have been avoiding me lately." A quiet brrrip interrupted the quickly degenerating conversation. "Looks like Swnetin was right." Lori carefully scanned the room. "Where's that portal?" "In the kitchen." Drew nodded in its direction. "We'd better get going. You know how cranky Nimbar gets if we're late." The four teens vanished in a flash of white light. In the Command Center, the red alarm light and accompanying siren spun in its rhomboid plastic case. Alpha-5 was relieved; Lord Zed had not attacked in over a week. Alpha looked into the viewing globe, and was almost shocked into silence. "Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi, Zordon! There are two monsters attacking Angel Grove Park!" "Yes, Alpha," Zordon bellowed, as he usually did. Alpha wondered for the umpteenth time where his volume control was located. "But only one of the creatures belongs to Zed. Today is the day I have feared the most; Zed has formed an alliance. I do not know what the other's capabilities are. We must contact the Rangers and hope they have not gotten too used to having normal lives." Obediently, Alpha sent out the signal. Soon, the air around him was filled with colored lights: blue, yellow, black, and red. "But where are the Pink and White Rangers?" The present Rangers looked blankly at each other. Then Trini suggested,"If it's important, why don't you teleport them directly here?" "We will have to do that. They still do not answer their communicators." For a brief instant, just long enough to be noticed, Zordon appeared annoyed. The Rangers and Alpha were aghast. The two streaks of light heralding their teammates' arrival soon had them forgetting all about Zordon's uncharacteristic display of emotion. They stood in the middle of the Command Center wearing nothing but the water that was streaming off their bodies. Blushing furiously, Kimberly used Tommy's body to block the others' view of hers. With perfect equanmity, Tommy asked for a couple of towels. For a long moment, no one moved. Then Billy reached behind him, producing two towels, one pink and one white. As the two covered themselves, Zordon directed their attention to the viewing globe and the monsters rampaging in Angel Grove Park. "Zed's monster is Cappuccinohead, his deadliest creation yet. She has the power to shoot streams of the most dangerous substance known - hot European coffee." "But Zordon," Billy said,"what about the other monster? Does it not belong to Zed?" "Your observation is correct, Billy. I have no knowledge of the other creature; you will be going in blind." "That doesn't matter," Tommy announced. "It's morphin time!" Four teenagers stumbled out of the portal and into Nimbar's chamber. "What's up this time, Nimbar?" Lori breathlessly asked. Travelling through the portals took an enormous physical toll. "Trouble greater than any I'd feared, my Sentinels. Behold the viewing screen." The screen revealed a sight none of the Galactic Sentinels were prepared for. Two monsters, only slightly larger than normal humans, causing mayhem in an unfamiliar park. "The Wolfen monster is the one sent by Gorganus. His main weapon is the ability to let out a deafening howl able to shake objects apart. You must also be on guard for his deadly claws. I do not know where the second monster came from, but I do know it shoots streams of a powerful corrosive. You must be extremely careful, Sentinels. In fact, I fear they may be too much for you." "Relax, Nimbar." Gordon cockily strode toward the discs;the others followed suit but were less sure of themselves. "Gorganus hasn't been able to defeat us yet. Another monster won't make that much of a difference." Lori spoke before either Nimbar or Drew pointed out what an ass Gordon was making of himself. "Yes, it will, Gordon. We'll have to split up. You and I will take the Wolfen. Drew and Swentin, you two will take the other creature." The Sentinels stepped onto their transporter discs and spoke their codenames. {Lori-Scorpio Gordon-Taurus Drew-Centaur Swentin-Apollo} They were then immediately teleported to the fight scene. As they arrived the Power Rangers realized they were not alone with the monsters. Four others materialized at the same time they did. They wore what looked like vinyl suits,each of a different color, and bore unsettling resemblances to American Gladiators. "You guys," Kimberly whispered,"do you think they're some sort of new putty?" At that moment Cappuccinohead noticed both teams' arrival. "Foolish Rangers!! You'll never defeat the two of us! Take that!" She fired a blast into the midst of the Rangers. A heartbeat later, Wolfen howled, directing a sonic blast at the Galactic Sentinels. The battle was joined. To the bystanders, the fight was confusion, a swirl of whiling bodies and cappuccino blasts punctuated by wolf howls and "Hyah!"'s. Inside the maelstrom, the situation was almost as confusing. Friends often only barely missed each other. Taurus was taken out early by Wolfen's claws. Zack and Trini followed soon after; a tree hit by a cappuccino blast fell over on them. Apollo got them safely out of the way; he caught Billy's eye. "We need to regroup and plan. I'm pretty sure we're on the same side." "I concur. Zordon, get us all out of here." A flash of multicolored lights, and both teams stood in the Command Center. Zordon's image flickered in and out. "Rangers," he boomed,"..do n..t know..much longer...help you." "Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi! Zordon has caught a virus!" "A virus? No foreign programs have access to his system." Billy looked over at Alpha. "How is this possible?" Alpha felt Billy's gaze burn into his emotional programming. Maybe this crisis would give him the chance to get Billy alone. "I don't know. Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi! What are we going to do?" "Maybe I can help. I have extensive knowledge of computers." "I don't know, Swentin." Lori looked apprehensive. "We really should report back to Nimbar." Jason gave her the best seductive glance he could manage while wearing his helmet. "Nimbar can wait. We should know more about each other. I mean, if we're going to be working together." Trini struggled not to laugh. Just as she was about to give an apt retort, Zordon gave one final flicker. A new voice thundered from the familiar countenance. "You won't have to worry about that, meat-things. I'm in charge now." An unnatural wind swept through the Command Center. "Who are you?" Tommy shouted above the howl. "Where did you come from?" "My name is Kilokahn; I am the next evolutionary phase for computer viruses. I come from Transsexual, Transylvania. As for my plan (which I have to tell you under my archvillain contract), I plan to cast you out!" At that moment, all of the Power Rangers changed back to normal. Thinking quickly, the Galactic Sentinels joined hands with the Rangers and Alpha, then teleported back to Nimbar's base. "Sentinels," Nimbar's mind-voice sounded genuinely surprised,"what happened? And who are these people? You have taken a great and unnecessary risk by bringing them here." Drew sighed; somehow the day just wasn't complete without one of Nimbar's scoldings. "It's okay; they're the Power Rangers. They fight bad guys, like we do." "Still, we do not know for certain they can be trusted." This time Gordon spoke. "Relax, we have blackmail material. We've been to their base." Now that Zack could see his face, he was breathless and his heart pumped fire. Since he first saw Family Ties, Zack had a huge crush on Michael J. Fox. Looking at and listening to Gordon was the next best thing to meeting the genuine article. Zack was so enamoured, he almost missed a important piece of conversation. "--monsters teleported away just after you did. This means they were sent only to distract you." "And it worked very well," Swentin observed. "Their computer was taken over by some sort of intelligent super-virus." A power portal opened on the far wall. "Return home and try to straighten this mess out. I will call you again when the monsters return." The portal emptied into Drew's aunt's patio. After hasty introductions, each team gave a brief synopsis of their origins. "Can you still morph?" The concern in Lori's voice touched a part of Jason. "Unknown. This has never happened before. However, since we involuntarily changed back, I would assume the answer would be negative." "So we need to get your computer an antidote before you'll be able to fight most effectively. I've heard of a super anti-virus program called Servo. I'll check into getting a hold of that." Swentin started to get up to leave until Drew put a hand on his arm. "Wait," she said,"I'll go with you. I might be able to help." Swentin honestly couldn't think of how she could help, but for some reason he decided to let her come along. "I guess, then," Lori said,"that the rest of us should get going. Any ideas where? I don't think we should be seen together at the Cafe Maison." Jason decided to impress her with his leadership abilities. "How about the Angel Grove Youth Center, Gym, and Juice Bar. That's where we usually hang out." "But what about the 'bot?" Gordon pointed at Alpha. "He's not exactly inconspicuous, you know." "Trini and Alpha can come with me to my lab to work on a way to shut Zordon off while we're waiting for that anti-virus program." Alpha's circuits tingled with excitement. Now would be his chance. He always carried the potion with him for just such an emergency. All he had to do was get Trini out of the way after it was used. Unknown to Alpha, Trini was also looking forward to time alone with Billy. This would be the perfect chance for her to test her feminine wiles (once again) against Billy's denseness. For a genius, he could be so stupid. Drew and Swentin started their search for Servo by hunting down rumors through the internet. After hours of getting nowhere, the two were ready to give up. "No one knows where this program comes from," Swentin sighed in frustration, his usually gentle demeanor frayed. "Whenever there's a virus in an important system it just...shows up. No one loads it in, it's just suddenly there." He started banging his head with the keyboard of his computer. "It's impossible!" Drew stepped behind Swentin and draped one arm over his shoulder. "You say this thing shows up whenever there's a virus in an important system.... Would you be able to trace the program or make a copy of it once it's in the system?" She started tapping her fingers on Swentin's collar bone. A trickle of sweat ran down his back; never had a girl been so close. "I should. But it could be days before another virus attacks." "Hello in there, Swentin. We can make our own virus." "But-but-but breaking into a system, especially the kind that triggers the program, is highly illegal." Drew walked around Swentin's chair and sat in his lap. He tried hard not to faint. "So don't get caught." Swentin swallowed visibly. His hands shook as he reached for the keyboard. As he started typing, he explained what he was going to do. "It's going to be a simple program, but it will look complicated. The sort of thing that can get past conventional anti-virus software. I'll put it in the easiest system to break into, then wait. It shouldn't take long for the Servo program to work, so I'll have to move fast." "Well,then...I guess I'll have to move fast, too." She slowly unzipped Swentin's pants. Swenitn was puzzled. "What do you... Please don't do that." This time he could not keep himself from passing out. Alpha sat among the extra parts and old experiments Billy had in his lab. Billy and Trini were busy at work on his latest device, something that would shut off Zordon. Making his task even more difficult was the general request for a volume control button. "Ay-yi-yi-yi! Zordon has never been turned off before! We don't know what effect it would have on him." "I don't think he's been turned down before, either. I don't know how you stand it, Alpha. If I'm in the Command Center too long, I get an earache." Trini tugged at her left ear to emphasize her point. Billy similed. Zordon left his ears ringing more than once, too. "If the information you gave me was accurate, this device should be adequate for both tasks." As Billy and Trini returned their attention to building the Remote Control Device (or RCD), Alpha quietly turned down the air conditioning; it was the hottest time of the day, in the middle of summer. Soon both humans were sweating heavily. "Why is it so hot in here?" Trini asked as Billy took off his shirt. Trini stared unabashedly; Billy was oblivious. "And it's getting hotter." "All this perspiration is causing a requirement for liquid refreshment. Would anyone else care for some?" Billy headed for the door. "Wait, Billy. I will get the drinks. You should continue working." Alpha trundled into the kitchen, infinitely pleased with himself. His master plan was working! He would have to remember that large-headed lab mouse at Christmas. He pulled out a pitcher of lemonade and a bottle of blue Hawaiian Punch. Alpha returned to the lab bearing a tray with two drinks. As he planned, Trini took the lemonade and Billy took the punch. Alpha was glad he didn't have an expression or his whole plan would be blown. "Why-why is the room spinning?" Billy started to fall over, but Trini caught him. Instead, he sat down roughly. Both Trini and Alpha were struggling to keep him upriht when the potion Alpha surreptitiously placed in the punch began to work. He saw both his friends, Alpha-5 and Trini Saotome in an entirely new light; they were the most beautiful creatures he'd ever seen. As conciousness left him, he managed to blurt out, "I love you." That was funny. Alpha could have sworn Rita told him it would work after he woke up. At the Youth Center, the remaining Tattooed Teens and Power Rangers got acquainted. They pushed together two tables to make one big enough for all six of them. Sitting at the counter was a petite blonde in a green-black catsuit with emeralds on her boots, belt, and collar; she also wore emeralds in her hair and ears. She sat with a clipboard in hand, taking notes on what only she could hear. Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men...she smiled to herself. What a nice change from D.C. Polticians did have fun, twisty minds, but in the end, they were all alike. The conversation had just gotten started when three small creatures walked through the door. The group could not decide if they were dogs, cats, or some sort of strange bug. "You guys," Kim whispered," I bet they were sent by Zed to spy on us." Sensing weakness, the trio wandered over to where they were sitting. "Hellloooooo, Superhero-Nurses!" the three chorused. The taller male jumped into Kimberly's arms; the boy with no pants and red cap jumped into Lori's, while the cute girl somehow managed to sit in the remaining laps. "Eeeewwww! I've got dog germs!" Kimberly tried to push away her paramour to no avail. "What...don't you like us?" He gave his best innocent look. "Besides, we're not dogs," chimed in the other male. "Then what are you?" On cue, the boys announced,"We're the Warner Brothers." "And the Warner Sister." The last line came from somewhere under the table. At that two more figures walked in. They were dressed in black leather and denim. "One side dweebs!" They pushed their way in-between the Warners and the heroes. All three Warners gave them lethal looks. "Ooooh," said the tall one, "I think we found today's special friends." They headed over to Bulk and Skull's table. Tommy looked at his watch. "Time for me to be heading home if there's nothing more for us to do." None of the others came up with a reason to stay, either. As the group headed for the door, they heard the tortured screams of Skull and Bulk. "Do you want me to walk you home, Kim?" Tommy asked. She smiled in response. As the two walked off, Jason tried the same line. "Would you like me to walk you home, Lori?" Gordon stepped between them. "Hey, I'll walk Lori home. At least I live near her." "Out of the way, Gordon. I'll walk home with whoever I want. C'mon, Jason." Gordon was more than a little annoyed. Zack walked up behind him. "If you need protection, I could walk you home." "No, that's okay." Zack sighed heavily as he watched Gordon go off in a slightly different direction than Jason and Lori. Yet another love that would go unrequited. He headed for his house. As they reahed her house, Kimberly whispered to Tommy, "I'm glad you came with me. My parents are gone for the weekend, and I'd hate to be home all by myself." Tommy smiled as she unlocked the door. In the living room, he waited while Kimberly "slipped into something more comfortable", and took her time about it. He was slipping through various stages of boredom when he heard a voice from the seat beside him. "Hello, White Ranger." Tommy picked up the source of the voice. "Saba?" he asked in disbelief. "How could you be here? I'm not morphed." "Remember, White Ranger, your power comes from yourself. That means I can manifest whether you're morphed or not. I decided to reminisce with you before you enjoy yourself with the Pink Ranger." Almost on cue, Kimberly walked in from the opposite direction wearing nothing but a pink gauze robe. "Reminisce with me about what?" Tommy was genuinely confused. "About when you enjoyed blowing me while you were the Green Ranger." Saba finally noticed he and Tommy were not alone. "Maybe you'd like to join us in conversation, Pink Ranger, before you join with the White Ranger." Kimberly blinked at the scene she walked in on. "Tommy...? What's going on here?" "Kim!" Tommy felt as if he'd been caught masturbating by his parents. "Uhhhh, maybe Saba can explain?" "As I was saying, Tommy used to enjoy blowing me when I was the Dragon Dagger. I was wondering why he stopped." Kimberly looked thoughtful, but Tommy was defensive. "Hey..I had to do that to call the Dragon Zord." "To make this conversation easier, White Ranger, I suggest you put me down." Tommy did as he was told and the white tiger-headed sword began to glow. It grew and stretched until it had a vaguely humanoid shape. The light faded until there was nothing but a seven-foot humanoid white tiger with big, bulging biceps standing in front of a shell-shocked Tommy. Kimberly was distracted; she wondered if all those requests for blow jobs was a coincidence. Saba bowed at the waist, tail upright but undulating. "I can only do this when you are not morphed. This form gives me the ability to properly pay you back for all those good times I had as the Dragon Dagger." A voice broke into the conversation from the kitchen. "You know, at an awkward moment like this, I like to drink a tall, refreshing glass of cool O.J. Fatherly advice, blah-blah-blah, yackety-shmackety." They all looked in the voice's direction. A figure about three and a half feet high covered in dark brown fur entered the darkened room carrying a tray with three glasses of orange juice. "Dad!" Kimberly exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" Hugh T. Deville smiled, showing his fangs in a devilish grin. "Why this is my fatherly cameo, adopted pumpkin. I'm here to give fatherly advice. In this situation you could blah-blah-blah, or you could yackety-shmackety. Well, that's my advice. I'm off to tee-off, now. Have a good time." Kimberly gave both Tommy and Saba a long, slow look. "You guys, I think we should blah-blah-blah AND yackety-shmackety." Billy regained conciousness sometime early in the night to Trini and Alpha sitting on opposite sides of his bed. He grabbed Trini, pulling her on top of him. He looked over at Alpha. I want you, too, but it would be a bit difficult. You're not exactly anatomically correct." "That's where you're wrong, Billy." Alpha ran his fingers along his seams, starting with his arms, moving to his legs, then his torso. As he did so, the pieces fell away, revealing soft, tan plastic. He then removed his helmet, gloves, and boots. The figure standing before Trini and Billy was a four-foot, animated, anatomically correct Ken doll. Billy raised an eyebrow. "What do you think?" The familiar voice came out of a stranger's mouth. "Zordon has me wear that diguise to hide his fondness for looking at men and boys. But I'd rather have you, Billy." Trini was annoyed. "Hey, what about me, you two. Nothing's going to happen here without me." Billy shifted so he was on his side, facing Trini, with Alpha behind him. "I think we could manage a threesome. I get both of you, you both get me." Swentin woke up with Drew on top of him. "Good morning," she whispered. "You seemed to have a pretty good time last night." "Ummmm,yes, but we have to put it behind us and get on with our mission." Swentin hurried over to his computer and began to quickly punch keys. "There. The system is infected. Now we wait for Servo to load up." Drew sidled up next to him. "So...want a quickie while we wait?" Swentin was in an obvious panic. "No! No, I need to get that program as soon as it's finished destroying the virus. It won't take long." A long moment passed. Drew started filing her short nails while Swentin stared at the computer, poised to download the anti-virus program. Sweat poured down the side of his face and he bit his lower lip as he rapidly punched keys. He triumphantly pulled his disk out of the drive. "Yes!! I've got it!!" Drew wished he had been as enthusiastic the night before; he was just so high strung. In the basement of a house not far away three teens waited for their friend to return. "Uh-oh, guys." The girl in the Blossom-style hat was plainly upset. "I think we've lost Sam." Later that morning, both teams met at the Angel Grove Youth Center, Gym, and Juice Bar. "Well, Swentin, did you get that program?" Gordon was even more unpleasant than usual to his teammate. "Yes, I've got it." He looked over at Tommy, who seemed much mellower than yesterday. "This should fix your computer in a matter of minutes." "Good. We should get going." The large group filed out into the street. "Okay," Lori said,"how should we do this? Teleport in twos and threes?" The Power Rangers were confused. "What do you mean? We were just going to teleport in all at once, like we usually do," Jason explained. Now it was the Sentinels'turn to be confused. "You mean no one notices you six hang out together in color coded clothing and disappear all at once when the Power Rangers show up?" Swentin shook his head. "I wish the people in Beverly Hills were that stupid." A rainbow of lights filled the Command Center. Kilokhan sent the signal to his comrades orbiting the planet before downloading himself into the overlooked piece of extra hardware that brought him into this closed system. He copied just enough of himself to put up a semblance of a fight and to keep the Zordon program from reasserting itself. The unnoticed piece of equipment vanished without a trace. A lone blue light followed a second after the others' arrival. Billy had stopped by his lab to pick up Alpha who was in his usual form once again. Swentin handed the disk over to the two of them, figuring they would know best where it would go. He was right. The place Alpha put the disk was the last thing he would have guessed was a disk drive. "You guys," Kimberly whined, "this isn't right. Shouldn't he be taunting us or something by now?" "Maybe that anti-virus program has it distracted," Gordon suggested. Within a few minutes, Zordon's image began to flicker. At the same time, the Galactic Sentinels' tattoos started flashing and the Rangers' alarm went off. A power portal appeared behind them. "Oops, we'd better get going." Gordon, Swentin, and Drew jumped into the portal. "Maybe we'll see you on the battlefield." Lori stepped through a second before the portal disappeared. "Rangers," Zordon's voice boomed into the Command Center. Zack leaned over to Billy. "Damn it," he whispered," you forgot the RCD with its volume control." "Observe the viewing globe. The same monsters that attacked last time are once again threatening Angel Grove Park. And now they have new putty-like creatures made of frozen coffee. They will be much more difficult to defeat." "Zordon, how do you know everything Zed or Rita does?" Trini voiced all the Rangers' thoughts. "Zed programmed me to help him the first time he tried to conquer Earth. I still maintain a direct, one-way link to his moonbase. "Go now. The situation grows more desperate with each passing moment." The Power Rangers struck the magic pose and said the magic words. The rainbow lights filled the Command Center for the second time that day. "I wish their spandex was a little tighter." Zordon actually managed a whisper. Alpha sighed and wondered if he'd have to take off his disguise and dance for him again. Servo was light-headed. He had just finished defeating an unbelievably weak megavirus moster when a tunnel opened beneath his feet and started sucking him in. He tried to fight it, but it pulled him in anyway. Now he was in a featureless expanse. He tried running in every direction, with no change or exit. A vortex opened over his head and drew Servo in. Oh no, not again, he thought. At least it'll be a change of scenery. He landed in a cityscape, but it was different from how the digital cities usually looked. The buildings were all black, outlined by thin white lights. A cycle in a monotone gray with blue running lights pulled up in front of him. It dissolved, leaving its rider hunched over, holding a baton. The rider looked over his shoulder. He was the same monotone gray as the cycle and his outfit also had the blue lights. "I don't know where you came from, but you'd better get out of here. The MCP is on the rampage." "MCP?" None of this made any sense. Not to mention he had the feeling he'd seen this guy somewhere before. "The Master Control Program that took over running the system from the old Zordon program. Some of us have been resisting him, but it never made a difference. Now it's gone on a rampage. It started a few nanoseconds ago; it's destroying everything in its path, you'd better get out of here." The cycle reformed around its rider and took off. Servo was wondering what he should do next when he saw IT. A whirlwind carving the most direct route through the strange landscape. When it reached him it stopped. It towered over Servo's head, as megavirus monsters often did before he grew. Like the cyclist, it somehow looked famiar; it had a lightbulb shape with arms down to the knees of its tiny legs. It was covered in fur with sections on top of its head that curled into horns. His eyes shifted from side to side, then he noticed Servo. >Spit-growl-spit-spit-raspberry< The MCP reached toward him. Servo leaped out of its way, quickly growing to match it in size. He wrestled with it until it had trouble spit-growling at him. He then fired his missles at it until the monster blew up. He repaired the system as best he could, given its strangeness. His job done, the hole reopened beneath him. You know, he grumbled silently, this is getting REAL old. The fight drew onlookers from miles around. The Power Rangers and Galactic Sentinels teleported in at the same time. The two monsters stood back from the fight, letting the coffee putties wear the heroes down. When the putties numbers dwindled down to four, the Wolfen and Cappuccinohead finally entered the fray. Wolfen directed a sonic blast towards Gordon as he leapt toward the monster. He was knocked back into an old oak tree. Cappuccinohead blasted all the Power Rangers simultaneously with a spread blast of hot coffee. The two groups manifested their weapons. With precise timing, both groups combined the blasts into single devastaing attack. Both monsters fell to their knees. At that moment, a flash of white light interrupted the battle. An older balding man, young man with a beard, a man with incredibly pale skin, another older man with something of a gut, and a young woman with dark, curly hair; all were dressed in weird bellboy outfits. "Q! You cannot just dump people off their ship into some alternate universe. It just isn't cricket!" the balding man bellowed with a British accent. "You especially can't leave me here with that!!" He pointed at the other older man. "What's the matter, don't you like me?" The second older man looked over at the interrupted fight; all the combatants stopped to stare at the new arrivals. He nudged the young man and pointed at them. "What do you make of that?" "It's life, Jim, but not as we know it." "Stop avoiding me. You're so much like Q you could be him!" The balding man struck the other man; his toupee flew off. Their companions watched the ensuing fistfight with detached interest. Zed, meanwhile, was very displeased. "Goldar!" he yelled. The sphinx bowed at Zed's feet. "Go down there and start them fighting again!" "Yes, my master." Goldar vanished in cartoon flames. "I've come for you, Red Ranger. You won't get away from me this time!" Goldar's abrupt arrival was enough to get the attention of both groups. "Who's the winged monkey?" Lori wondered. "That's Goldar, our bitterest enemy," Kimberly responded. Jason smirked. "He's only bitter on the outside. Inside, he's made of creamy nougat." Everyone was silent a moment. "And exactly how do you know that?" Zack asked. Jason was glad he was wearing a helmet; he could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks. "Uh, don't ask me; I'm a mute." The original two monsters regained their senses and resumed their attack. Jason and Goldar wrestled apart from the main battle. "Doesn't this remind you of old times, Jason?" Goldar had him pinned. "Come back to me. Zed just doesn't have the same touch with a whip that you do. He even falls short of Rita." "You were the one who left me, remember? You wanted to see how good Tommy would be." Jason wriggled free and pinned Goldar in turn. "He keeps turning me down, even when he was powerless in Zed's own dimension. I get the feeling he isn't interested." Jason found himself pinning empty air as Goldar vanished in cartoon flames. At the main battle, the heroes once again had the monsters on their knees. Zed knew what had to be done. The well-aimed growth grenade caught both creatures; they were soon the size of high-rises. The Galactic Sentinels grew to match them. The Power Rangers were impressed; they had to summon their zords. While the Tattooed Teenagers continued to fight Wolfen and Cappuccinohead, the Rangers had some organization to go through. First, the Red Zord charged Cappuccinohead, using the White Tiger Zord as a mount. Jason briefly wondered what riding Tommy would be like, but figured he was too straight-laced to let him find out personally. He'd have to ask Kimberly one of these days. The Galactic Sentinels, unfortunately, were losing ground against Wolfen. "Form Nitron!" Scorpio ordered. They joined in a square and spoke their codenames. In a flash of light, where the Sentinels were standing, there was now an armored man that looked like none of them. The Power Rangers reorganized themselves. The Red Dragon Zord remained in warrior mode while the rest joined the White Tiger Zord as the Megatiger Thunderzord. The sight of these giant robots caused varied reactions, but most civilians fled in terror. The balding man had long since stopped fighting with the other older man and now turned to the woman. "Counselor, what do you make of all this?" The woman closed her eyes, concentrating. "I sense an intelligence behind this. It's very vague, but I get the impression of a sick mind at work, sprained, possibly even fractured." "Thank you, Counselor. Now, let's take a vote on what we should do. It will be by secret ballot, of course. Who has the paper and pens?" The rest of the group looked blank. "None of you has any paper? Then, we'll just have to find some." They picked their way out of the park. Four women walked down a nearby street. They had come all the way from Japan for the chance of a lifetime for one of their number, but she blew the deal. All of them watched the battle in fascination, each giving comentary on what she would have done in the heroes' place. The one for whom they had come here pointed at the giant mecha. "They're boomers, I tell you - Giant boomers!" "Relax, Priss," their leader tried to show concern. "They aren't giant boomers. And that record producer wasn't a giant chicken. Mr. LeBoo is highly respected; I'm surprised you insulted him like that. Not that you insulted him, just how you did it. I think you need a vacation." Both groups of heroes were quickly closing in for the kill when a voice interrupted them. "Stop! Stop this at once!" So shocked were they at the stranger's audacity that they actually stopped in mid strike. He stood in the middle of the battlefield, a dour, middle-aged man in a charcoal gray business suit and red power tie; he was obviously not a superhero or monster, but something far more powerful. They were awed by his power (or his stupidity, they weren't sure which). "Hello, I am the program director for various networks that shall go unnamed. I am here to inform you that you are all canceled." He tipped his hat. "Thank you and goodnight." With his words, the monsters vanished into smoke and the zords returned to the Command Center. "Canceled? Why? We're the highest rated kids show in America." Kimberly spoke for all concerned. The corners of the man's mouth twitched. "Several parent's groups have complained that the show is too violent and sponsors have pulled their ads under those groups' pressure. So, you're canceled." As quickly as he had come, he vanished. Tommy put a reassuring hand on Kimberly's shoulder. "You know, we can go back to my grandfather's cabin and blah-blah-blah or yackety-shmackety." "Hmmm. I bet in sword form, Saba could find my G-spot. Anyway, I'd like my chance to be in the middle this time. Why should you and Saba have all the fun?" The two Rangers vanished in twin lights. The other combatants followed suit. Zack pulled Jason aside, just as he was about to teleport away with Lori. "Don't tell me you left me for Goldar." Jason made sure Lori was out of earshot. "He gave me excitement. I didn't have that with you. Your new interest seems more your style. Very conservative." He returned to Lori and the two teleported away. Billy and Trini stopped by the Command Center long enough to pick up Alpha before heading back to Billy's lab. Deep inside a neglected disk a voice was calling out,"Sydney? Tanker? Lucky? Guys? Get me out of here!!" In an unknown lab two mice watched the entire debacle on their closed-circuit monitor. The smaller one with a large head was obviously displeased. "Nuts. Well, Pinky it is time to get ready for tomorrow night." "Why, Brain? What are we going to do tomorrow night?" "The same thing we do every night, Pinky. Try to take over the world!!!" Unseen voices chorused,"They're dinky - They're Pinky and the Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain!"